Espanyol salvage a point at Los Carmenes

Espanyol seize the initiative 

The importance of the clash between Granada CF and RCD Espanyol meant that neither team could afford to drop points as they seek to escape the clutches of relegation. It was the Catalans who started the game brightest and dominated the opening stages, although they failed to create any clear chances. 

Barral sees red 

Things took a turn for the worse for the Andalusian outfit in the first half when David Barral was sent for an early bath. The Cadiz-born striker was shown a straight red for a tackle on Gerard Moreno, and Granada were forced to figure out how to approach a large part of the match with only 10 men. 

Rochina to the rescue 

However, instead of giving in, Jose Gonzalez’s men produced their best spell of the evening and managed to open the scoring. Isaac Success weaved past several defenders and into the area before playing in Ruben Rochina, who put the ball past Pau Lopez. 

A lucky leveller 

With a one-goal advantage and facing the usual pitfalls of playing with a man down, the home team tried to remain organised and catch Espanyol on the break in order to kill off the game. Espanyol took over possession, but lacked the necessary clarity to create any real threat. However, a run by Hernan Perez ended with a failed clearance by Miguel Lopes in the middle, and the ball ended up in the back of the net. 

Things are getting tight at the bottom 

Granada’s point means that they emerge from drop zone, leapfrogging Getafe, with whom they are level on 27 points along with Rayo Vallecano. Next week, Granada host the Franjirrojos in a massive battle in their bid to stay up.